Pommel plate, ca. 1580
French or Flemish
Steel and gold
Wt. 12 oz. (352 g)
Rogers Fund, 1929 (29.171)
Very few saddle steels are decorated with embossed ornament including figural representations or narrative scenes. The densely detailed style of this pommel plate is a notable example, allowing it to be identified as part of a small group of rare parade armors that were made in France or Flanders in the last quarter of the sixteenth century.
The subjects depicted are derived from Classical history and mythology. In the center of the Museum's pommel plate is a prominent figure wearing antique-style armor and mounted on a rearing horse, possibly representing the legend of the Roman hero Marcus Curtius.
